A Lovers Triangle
by Jenny Tilley
Summary: A lovers triangle has been created between Hitomi and Van, and the first Fanel brother, Folken.


_A Lovers Triangle_

It was a beautiful morning, the birds were singing, the sky was blue and the bright golden sun was shining down on Gaia. 

Deep in the castle on Austeria's banks a sleepy Hitomi awoke to the song of a songbird singing away outside her window. She moaned and rolled over to face her window, trying to get her eyes to focus to the morning sun. 

As she rose from her warm bed a soft raping came on her door. "Come in" she called with a yawn. "Good morning my lady, did you sleep well?" It was one of the castle's maids. She'd come to get her for breakfast. Hitomi yawned again; "Yes I did actually, thank you for asking." But she was lying; she hadn't slept very well at all. She hadn't for weeks. She kept having the same dream night after night, but she could make no sense of it. 

In her dream she was standing in the big, dark room, with a man standing in front of her. She couldn't make out who the man was but she seemed to know him. In a way she was drawn to him, but she didn't know why. As she walked toward him, he placed a hand on the shoulder, which felt cold through her shirt. Then she turned around and saw Van standing there, a tear running down his face. She tried to yell for him but he turned and walked away. The feelings of sadness and guilt that came along with this dream almost made her wake up crying every time. She'd had the same dream every night for the past 2 weeks and she still couldn't make any sense of it. Who was this man? Why did him make Van so unhappy? Why did she feel so guilty? What had she done? Was this just a dream or was it a vision? 

As Hitomi dressed that feeling of unknowing stayed with her. What could that dream be about? But she snapped out of her dazed state when she heard footsteps approaching and then, "Hitomi!" and someone knocked on her door. "Hitomi are you in there?" It was Van. He'd returned!

Van and Allan had gone on a trade mission to the neighboring kingdom to get supplies for the upcoming war. Folken, Van's brother, whom had just left Zaibach and allied himself with Austeria, stayed behind to protect them during Van and Allan's absence in case of any trouble.

Van knocked on the door again "Hitomi?" he asked again. "Yes yes I'm here! I'll be right there...just give me a second!" She quickly buttoned up the white blouse from her all too familiar school uniform and grabbed her jacket in her rush for the door.

As she threw open the door she was met by the angry face of the little cat girl. "Well it's about time!" Merle scolded with her hands on her hips. "Oh! Sorry Merle..." she trailed off as she looked over at Van, who was leaning up against the wall across from her, smiling. When their eyes met he shyly looked away putting his glance on Merle instead.

"Well..." Van cleared his throat "Are you coming for breakfast?" 

"Oh yeah I'm ready"

With that the three of them headed down the stairs with Merle in the lead.

Sitting down to breakfast, Hitomi had helped herself to a heaping plateful of pancakes, or what she thought were pancakes, being on another planet the food was of course a little different, but she'd ate WAY to much. As she sat there, watching the rest of them scarf down their breakfasts she felt more and more she was going to be sick. She would have excused herself but she was half waiting to see if Allan would come down so she could ask him about his trip, since Van wasn't the most talkative person on the planet. She liked to hear about the other kingdoms of Gaia and half because she was too full to move. 

After a few minutes she was about to excuse herself when in walked Folken. In the two weeks he'd been with them, he seemed to have changed from the man she'd known to work for Zaibach. He no longer wore the black rob that made him look like a vampire and he didn't wear the same sad, tortured look he had before. Even though the tear tattoo still adorned his cheek. Now he seemed to have a presence about him that made Hitomi want to talk to him and become friends with the eldest Fanel brother. He was nothing like Van though. Van, more now than ever, seemed distant and cold and unwilling to talk about anything. Folken, on the other hand, seemed like he was longing for someone to talk to. Hitomi wasn't sure, but everytime she was around him, he seemed to flirt with her. It could have been her imagination but he seemed to always want to talk to her and trusted her with tasks that Van would never have trusted her to do. Like, delivering messages to Dryden or even little things like getting him a glass of water when he was working on something. Also, he asked her to help him with experiments he worked on, Van, on the other hand would have told to her to get out of his way. She liked him for that, he made her feel wanted and that's what she needed. 

As he walked into the dinning room he flashed Hitomi a smile and sat down across from her. "Have a good sleep my dear?" he asked, smiling warmly at her, ignoring everyone else at the table. 

"Yes...yes I did. Thank you for asking" Hitomi said blushing and giving him a shy smile, not exactly knowing what to say. 

"Well that's good to hear," he said pouring himself a cup of tea. "I see you've eaten without me, I guess I won't be having the pleasure of your company" 

Hitomi hadn't noticed but she did look like she was about to go, her napkin was on her plate and her chair was pushed out. But now she didn't want to leave, she wanted to stay and talk to Folken. But there was no way she could eat another thing. So she excused herself and stood to leave. Smiling shyly at him again.

"I'll have to get up earlier tomorrow I guess my dear. Have a good day if I don't see you around again" Folken said and took a sip of his tea.

"I will. Thank you" As she turned to leave she catch a glimpse of Van out of the corner of her eye. He had a scowl on his face that would crack a mirror. Why was he so mad? Was he jealous...of Folken?

"Hitomi" said Van as he walked up toward her. Hitomi had decided to spend the day out by the river. There was a beautiful place right under the trees behind the castle she loved to go and watch the days float by. She'd made herself comfortable underneath an old tree by the bank with a book she'd found in her bag, it was the book she'd been reading for a book report at school which had to be way over do by now. The sky had turned gray and looked as if it would rain any minute but there was enough sunshine coming through the clouds to make it nice.

"What is it Van?" Hitomi asked looking up from her book surprised to see him there. "Is there something wrong?" 

"Actually there is..." he sounded concerned about something. "I don't want you hanging around my brother anymore. I know he likes you and I know you've been helping him out and." Hitomi cut in abruptly, "You What!?" she yelled jumping up from her spot under the tree "How can you say that? You're not my father or anything else!" At that moment a clap of thunder rumbled through the air startling them both but not dimming Hitomi's anger.

"It's just that I don't want you to get hurt" Van paused. "It just we don't know if Folken has any alternate plans here. I don't know if we can trust him yet" Van looked at her with concern in his eyes. She couldn't tell if it was legitimate concern or not but it didn't make her feel any better about what he'd just said.

"Van can't you trust your own brother? He loves you and he's here to help. I trust him... I just wish you could do the same" With that she ran off around the side of the castle not wanting to talk to him anymore. She knew that if she did she'd say something she could never take back. Like the fact that she felt something for Folken. She wasn't sure what it was exactly. Was it love? She wasn't sure. 

As she ran the gray clouds had turned to black and broke bring down a sheet of rain. She was soaked to the bone but she couldn't return to the castle. She couldn't face Van just yet. But she had to get out of the rain. Just then she came upon Folkens' laboratory. He'd set up in an old servants quarters behind the castle. It was a big, gray brick building with boarded up windows, and a set of large steal doors. 

The doors were rusty and very heavy but she managed to open them with a little effort. The interior didn't seem the same as it had before. Do to the dark clouds outside, little light was coming in so it was hard to see and only a couple candles were lit. But she knew her way through. Shivering, as she walked down the dark cold hallway. "Hello?" she whispered as she walked into a large room, which Folken had set up as his living quarters. 

"Yes" a familiar voice, said from a dark corner. Folken stepped out of the shadows in front of her. He had no shirt and she could see his massive metal arm shining in the candlelight. "Are you all right?" he sounded concerned "Your shaking". She couldn't hold it in, she told him the whole story, about Van, about what he said...everything. Folken didn't say a word, he should there and listened to every word and never once looked away. As she finished she was in tears, trying to console her he placed his metal hand or her shoulder. She could feel the cold steel through her clothes but yet it seemed to confront her. Before his mechanical arm had terrified her but this time it didn't effect. He pulled her close holding her in his strong arms. She could hear his heart beat and it began to calm her more. She didn't want to leave, here she felt safe and loved.

The moment seemed, to Hitomi, to last forever and not long enough at the same time. She was almost disappointed when he let her go. "Your soaked! Let's get you into something dry and when this rain lets up I'll walk you back to the castle." He walked over to an old dresser in the corner, which was covered with candles and test tubes and several other bottles of things she couldn't quite see in the dim light. "Here you go" he handed her a white shirt and a pair of trousers, along with a towel to dry off with. The clothes looked way to big for her but at least they were dry. "Here you put these on and I'll go check to whether" With that he left the room leaving Hitomi to change. 

Those wet clothes were a pleasure to get off. Her white blouse stuck to her body like glue under her coat and her wool skirt weighed a ton. She was right, the clothes were way to big for her, the shirt hung off her shoulders and the trousers were hard to keep on. She had to hold them up when she walk so she didn't trip. 

"How are you doing?" Folken ask through the door. "Oh fine, you can come in now I'm dressed"

Folken let out a little giggle when he saw her in his clothes. "You look a little uncomfortable in those pants" noticing her struggling to keep them up. 

"Umm ya! Just a little." she joked. 

"Here try this" Folken walked over to her removing the green silk cloth that was tied around his waste. He put the cloth around her hips lifting her shirt, letting the trousers drop to the floor, tucking it in by her hip so it wouldn't fall. "There that's a little better" he smiled warmly placing his hands on her hips and their eyes met. Looking into them Hitomi noticed that they looked like Van's. That morning he had looked at her the same way, but with Folken, he didn't look away. 

As she gazed into his eyes the world fell away, she no longer heard the tapping of the rain outside hitting the roof; she no longer felt the water running off her hair and down her back. All she saw was those eyes. Then Folken did something she'd never imagine he'd do. He leaned over and kissed her. Feeling his soft lips on hers sending a stream of warmth through her body, warming her instantly inside and out. The coolness of the room no longer bothered her. His kiss was like nothing she'd ever felt before; it was firm but gentle and made her go leak at the knees. 

He began to kiss harder, getting more and more into the moment. His lips parted and his soft tongue parted hers. He wrapped his arms around her in a strong embrace, as if trying to keep her from running, but she had no intention of doing that. She placed her hands on his smooth back and she could feel the goosebumps on his skin. He was enjoying himself and there was no doubt.

Their bodies swayed with the rhythm of their kisses, pressed tightly together. Folkens' hand gently caressed the curves of her back underneath her shirt. And all of a sudden he pulled away from their kiss, but not letting her go. He looked into her beautiful green eyes and smiled. Then leaned over and picked her up in his arms effortlessly. As he carried her over to the bed in the corner she could feel the cool metal of his hand on her thigh. 

Folkens' intentions were clear but Hitomi had no objections. She'd had feelings for him since they'd met and this was what she wanted. He placed her on the bed and climbed over her with her legs between his. Leaning closer he looked into her eyes waiting for a sign of rejection that never came, so he continued. Supporting himself with his metal arm he placed his hand on the side of Hitomi's face and gave her a quick loving kiss. Then he began to run his hand down her neck to her shoulder and then down to the ties of her shirt. Untying them revealing her soft supple breast, pert from the cool air. Placing a hand on one, Folken leaned down and began French kissing her again, working her breast under him. 

The soft moans from Hitomi told Folken to continue further. He reached down and pulled the silk off from around her hips. It fell silently to the floor beside the bed. Then he pulled the white shirt up over her head a dropped it beside it on the floor. And then he took off his own pants. 

The clouds had lifted and the rain had stopped when Hitomi woke up with a start. She had that dream again. Only now it was clear. She could finally make out who the man was. It was Folken. Did this mean if Van found out what they had done, he'd leave her forever? Was this a vision of the future? 

Questions swam in her head until she heard a sigh beside her. Folken was still asleep beside her. His normally spiky hair was mated down and scruffy which made him look cuter than ever. A slight smile creased his lip as he slept. All her worries drifted away as she watch him sleep like a child. She didn't want to wake him but she knew she'd better get back to the castle before anyone noticed she was missing. 

As she rolled over to get out though someone burst through the door. Covering her naked body she looked up to see that it was Van whom had come in. 

"Hitomi!!" Van was stunned. How could Hitomi be in bed with his brother? "How could you?" Folken stirred and sat up. "Van...umm hello brother?" 

"Don't hello me! How could you do this? You know how I feel about her!" Van stopped realizing what he'd said. He looked over at Hitomi who was stunned to hear this. How could he have not told her this? "Hitomi!" he was still mad and the anger in him came out in his voice "I looked everywhere for you! I spent half the night searching the castle…" he trailed off as he looked at her. He could see she felt guilty about what she'd done. Tears were growing in her eyes. "Hitomi..." Van said softly leaving the room.

"Van!!!" Hitomi hollered after him as she quickly got dressed.

She could hear nothing but her foot steps echo in the hallway as she ran after him. The hallway seemed to go on forever, but she had to keep going, she had to talk to Van.

"Van!" she yelled as she pushed open the steel doors letting in the morning sunlight. The grass was still wet from the night's rain, which made it hard to run. "Van!!!" Hitomi screamed to him. "Van! Wait please let me explain"

He stopped in mid step and turned to face her. A tear was running down his cheek but a scowl adorned his face. "Why?"

Hitomi's head dropped "I don't know?"

"You don't know? Hitomi..." Van's head dropped too.

They stood there in silence for a moment, to them it seemed like a lifetime. Neither one knew what to say. 

"Van..." she walked over to him putting a hand on his shoulder. "Van...you're the one I've wanted since I arrived on Gaia, I guess I was mad at you and I saw a little of you in Folken. I'm sorry Van. How can I ever make this better?"

Van looked up and met his eyes with Hitomi's. He saw in her eyes that she was truly sorry. "Do you love him?"

"What?"

"Do you love Folken?"

"No...I had feelings for him but I know now that it isn't him I want to be with. It's you." tears started to stream down her face. And Van knew she was being truthful.

"You do?" Van smiled and pulled Hitomi over. 

There they stood for what seemed like hours, standing there in each other's arms. Folken watched them from the doorway of his quarters, he knew that they were destinate to be together and so did they. Also, he knew that it wasn't him that Hitomi wanted that night, it was his brother. He wasn't mad really, he was happy for his brother and their new found love.

And from that day on Hitomi never again had that terrible dream. Now her nights were filled with dreams of Van. She couldn't wait until after this horrible war so they could be together...forever.

~The End~


End file.
